No-one really thought it could happen but they keep saying, don't they, "that cricket is a funny game."
Don't suggest that to Wanganui Collegiate players and crew their Wanganui High School opponents certainly had the last laugh yesterday by bowling Collegiate out for 72 after being bowled out for 78 themselves, and thus taking the spot in the regional Gillette Cup play-offs.
It was a pretty sad batting effort from Collegiate on the bouncier artificial wicket at Wanganui High School, as indeed it had been from WHS before them.
But with skipper Ross Kinnerley and the lanky Travis Bartels steaming in and bowling as if their very lives depended on it, the wickets started to tumble.
"If we were to lose we were determined to lose with pride," Kinnerley said. And so it proved.
Collegiate was 39-6 before two left-handers, the more experienced Tim Jefferd and the youngster Monty White, ground their way to a partnership of 19 doesn't sound much, but it equalled the game's previous best. But the two Collegiate boys rather ground themselves down by defence alone Jefferd batting 57 balls for four at one stage.
The return of Bartels and Kinnerley found them out, and apart from a blow over mid-off for four from little Ted Haggas, there was little fight in the Collegiate tail.
In fact that was just the second boundary of the whole match those extremely long WHS boundaries and a bit of extra grass in the outfield took care of that.
Bartels ended with 5-31 and Kinnerley 4-25 from their 10 overs each.
WHS' Fraser Berry (18) and Collegiate's John steward (10) were the only batsmen to reach double figures while Mr Extras reached 30 in the WHS innings and 24 in the Collegiate knock.
Didn't leave much for the batsmen, did it? WHS goes on to play Paraparaumu College on the Kapiti Coast next week.
Batting blues as High School win
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